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Sunday, April 3, 2011

25:40 -- What's the Rush?

Staggering bleary-eyed while pushing a stroller with a baby in it...yep, like mother like daughter.

L.E. took her first real steps today. She didn't even realize she was doing it. She stood up, took 2 steps, turned and fell on her butt. Fortunately, there was a nice piano/xylophone to break her fall. Not a happy way to go down.
Am I happy she's ready to walk? Truthfully, I'm on the fence. On the one hand, it's amazing to see my baby turn into an independent little person. On the other hand, the selfish and lazy one, this just means I have to do a better job of keeping my house clean. Doors need to be shut; cabinet locks need to actually be turned to "lock" and not just hang haphazardly, with unknown treasures such as blue Windex and bug spray behind their doors. I have to be selective about the weight of books on our bookshelf. "Complete Works of Shakespeare" looks like it would hurt if L.E. were to pull it off the shelf which is one of her new favorite pastimes.
I kinda miss the days when I could leave her alone in the living room for a second, perched in her brace on a blanket in the middle of the floor with a few select toys within her reach. Crawling changed EVERYTHING. And when she figured out how to swing open an unlatched door, going to the bathroom was never a private matter. She's a total sidler, too. One second, you think she's in the living room. Next thing you know, she's at your feet in the kitchen pulling herself up on your legs while you're holding 4 glasses to put away.
We realized she doesn't have any shoes made for walkers. Not that shoe-shopping is something I'd ever complain about.
People have been asking me if she's walking yet for the last 3 months. I guess that's the biggest complaint about being a parent: being asked on a daily basis, "Is she_________________ yet?" You can't help but feel some bit of parental inadequacy because you're kid can't feed herself at 10 months, isn't pulling herself up, doesn't have teeth, can't talk beyond babbles...etc etc. Why can't we just let our kids grow and develop at their own pace? It will all happen in due time. How often do you see a 9-year-old with no teeth crawling around in diapers and still needs spoon-fed?
I'm content with L.E. doing her own thing. There isn't a prize given to the mom whose kid walks first, talks first, eats food off the floor fastest...(if there is a prize for that last one, I accept) If she still babbles incoherently when she's 5 then yes, we may have a problem. But until then, she can stumble around like a drunkard, knocking things over and falling on her butt. She can ramble on and on about her day in a language only she can understand. Her coolest "trick" is doing a no-handed binky grab off the nightstand. (Your kid may be able to talk at a year but mine can do stripper tricks)
She knows how to high-five on command. To me, that's the best accomplishment yet.

1 comment:

really, everything just start moving up higher and further back on the counter when the start walking... at least that is what we noticed with O. Who knows with Fifi, she is on a fast track to harrassing her older brother, that's for sure.And I think you have a good attitude about letting her just be her- they are all so stinkin' different. I have a really funny image in my mind of a 9 year old now. thanks, that will take me thru the rest of my friday.